Reviews

An excellent episode, with a small-town conspiracy, the on-going mystery of Mulder's disappearance, a triumphant appearance for Agent Doggett, some native American spiritual lore, and a suspenseful plot that will make you forget about that sandwich you were going to make during commercials.

At the center of the action is a mysterious creature that....has some astonishing powers. Gradually we realize that the townspeople are in on this, and in fact, counting on it. At least some of them. But why? What do they want? What is the creature and what does IT want? By the end you'll know - and be privy to several amazing surprises....and have we found Mulder.....or not?

OK; it IS a bit trite, but still an edge-of-the-seater nonetheless. Surprises galore to keep your imagination occupied, though thriller buffs will predict most of them. I found that part of the fun: keeping score of how many "surprises" i anticipated. Still, the denouement packs punch and satisfies. Great performances by most of the cast, esp. Hackman, who always has that knack of being 'perfect' for the part, doesn't he? and Damon, very apt in this early role. The art direction is superb, the location shooting very convincing. If you like thrillers/whoodunits you WILL be entertained. I gave it only a 7 because reading Sartre is probably a better use of two hours....

I found this one of those films that just has you saying, "yes! yes! yes!" throughout. All the requisite elements work together so well here, it views almost as a documentary. Art direction, costuming, sets, photography, direction, script, acting, editing - everyone deserved an award. It's as nearly flawless a film as i've seen. Young adults will resonate deeply to its themes, but all adults will find much to savor.

Demme deserves credit for infusing the potentially ho-hum tale of young grads gathering for their small-town high school reunion with a palpable tension that gives every development dramatic interest. Will violence erupt? Will some go to prison? Will lives be ruined? Will lovers truly find each other? How rich with dramatic possibility are the everyday moments of our lives! And how satisfying can be the rewards of just accepting the everyday prizes that come our way.

Fun to see Bill Maher in a lead movie role! But he's better in his comedy show. The concept of a time-traveling cop chasing a future baddie is fine, but this piece of shtick never finds its rhythm. Many scenes drag, and the actors seem to have trouble taking the plot seriously, which makes the flic almost a send-up of itself!

The violent incidents don't seem at all realistic, the romantic scenes lack sincerity and clarity, and the plot is entirely predictable, and not very compelling. The villains are laughable. The situations are stilted, clichéd, unconvincing. There's merit in the idea, but it never gets developed successfully. A big yawner. Sorry, Bill.

Made for TV, the fade-to-commercial breaks often come in the middle of continuing scenes - very awkward. The characters are caricatures, and not well-drawn, at that. The plot is ridiculous, completely implausible, laughably silly. In fact, one of the things that makes the movie watchable at all is to see how bad it gets from scene to scene, and how completely preposterous the clichés used.

As another reviewer said, the special effects are not very good. The notion that the DoD would employ a private group of - ready for this? - four people who outfit standard commercial vehicles as super-duper technological miracles that inerringly defeat the bad guys while remaining invulnerable to anything thrown at them is totally absurd. This flic is no doubt less painful than 90 minutes of root-canal without anesthetic. But not as interesting.

One of the best action/suspense/intrigue films i have seen. Fun to see DeNiro in a James Bond role. The on-location shooting and occasional French dialogue, subtitled, and Frankenheimer's no-transition, episodic pacing lends a very European feel to the film. It has some of the most intense auto-chase sequences in cinema, and a startling foot-chase through the tourists!

Above all, the intelligent plot, with rapid-fire surprises, changes of direction, and confounding reverses, keeps you on the edge of your seat. Characters are nicely developed. Frankenheimer has made them complex human beings, not just comic-book characters. Of course DeNiro's superb talent helps immensely, as does a perfectly-utilized musical score that supports the moods but does not obtrude, and travelogue-quality cinematography.